


Gasoline, Ignited

by lasvegas_lights



Series: Drinks and Drumming [5]
Category: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-01-14
Packaged: 2019-03-04 20:33:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13372557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lasvegas_lights/pseuds/lasvegas_lights
Summary: Amanda's good evening goes from bad to worse. A man with a grudge nearly takes the two things Martin holds dear away from him.





	Gasoline, Ignited

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the very awesome setmeatopthepyre on Tumblr for the encouragement and for spotting some typos! Hope you like it guys!  
> Come find me on tumblr to say hi: http://starlingbite.tumblr.com/

Amanda was in a really good mood. It was probably due to the fact that one of her favourite bands, Lydia and the Sharkcats were currently on stage at Rowdy3 and her boyfriend of eighteen months had been staring at her all night with a look that told her that her good evening would turn into a great night.

Her head nodded along to the beat of the music and she almost danced around the tables, picking up empty glasses and returning them to the bar. She pretended not to notice Martin’s eyes following her around the room from his spot at the end of the bar. Vogel, Gripps, Cross and Bea were hard at work, making drinks for customers, but Martin stayed still, arms folded and watched. She couldn’t wait for the bar to close up the for the night to see what Martin did with all that pent-up energy.

She decided to head closer, give Martin a better view of her outfit. If he was going to spend the evening riling her up, it was only fair she did the same to him. Snaking through the group of tables, she stopped mid-step when she felt a hand on her ass.

“Hey!” Reacting quickly, she spun around, slapping the hand away from her “Don’t you dare touch me!”

The man the hand belonged to laughed her off. It was clear that he’d consumed too much to drink by the way he swayed in his seat. If Amanda had to describe what an entitled sexist jerk looked like, the man in front of her would be a pretty close likeness.

“Come on girly, just having a little fun.” He reached out for her again with both hands and Amanda jumped backwards. “You and me could be really good together, I’ll show you what a real man can do to a body like yours.”

“Touch me again and I’ll introduce your real head to your real colon,” Amanda warned him.

The man didn’t listen and jumped to his feet to grab at Amanda’s waist, attempting to pull her closer. He was strong and Amanda struggled to get herself free from his grip. She slammed her foot down on his and then lifted it up between his legs to kick him in the crotch. He cried out and finally let go of her.

She didn’t see Martin launch himself over the top of the bar and push through the crowd to her, but she knew he would come to her aid, Gripps and Cross not far behind.

Martin grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him arm behind his back painfully as Gripps wrapped an arm around Amanda’s waist and yanked her back out of the way. She found herself holding onto Gripps tightly, watching as Martin and Cross strong-armed the jerk towards the entrance. Other customers jumped out of the way as they pushed him forwards and then through the double doors, only letting go when he was on the sidewalk.

“You ever come near my bar again you’ll regret it,  _ I swear. _ ” Martin growled.

“No, you’ll regret it!” The man shouted back, already stumbling away.

Martin ignored him and returned inside, heading straight for Amanda. As soon as he was near, she let go of Gripps and wrapped herself around Martin. He held her tightly against his body for a moment and then pulled far enough away to cup her face in his hands, “You okay?”

She nodded, “Bastard ruined my good mood though.”

“You were amazing!” Vogel gushed when Martin ushered Amanda back to the bar. “You kicked his ass!”

“Thanks Vogel” Amanda smiled at her friend.

“Remind me never to piss you off” Gripps agreed, nudging her shoulder.

* * *

Amanda tried to shake off the incident as soon as it was over. A glass was placed in her hand and she downed the alcohol before getting back to work. Martin continued to watch her, but instead of heat in his eyes, she only saw concern. She smiled to reassure him and tried to lose herself in the music to shake off the feeling of the man’s hands on her.

At the end of the night, Amanda returned upstairs first and got ready for bed. Earlier plans between her and Martin had fizzled out the minute the jerk had placed his hand where it didn’t belong. She pulled off the short skirt and strappy top which had been driving Martin insane earlier in the night and exchanged them for t-shirt and a pair of Martin’s boxers.

She was in the bathroom wiping off her make-up when she heard the front door open and close.

“In here!” She called.

A moment later he was standing quietly behind her at the sink, his hands at her waist and his face pressed into her neck. She paused and looked at their reflection in the mirror and once again thanked the heavens for sending him to that coffee shop.

“I wanted to kill him,” she heard him mumble, his breath against her skin making her shiver.

“I know,” she responded softly before turning to face him, meeting his eyes, “I’m glad you’re not in jail right now.”

He snorted and his reaction made her smile in return. “I don’t look good in orange anyway.”

Her smile turned into a laugh “I still need to brush my teeth, but then the bathroom’s all yours” She swivelled back around to face the mirror and grabbed her toothbrush.

His hands returned to her waist, his fingertips slipping under the hem, brushing the warm skin underneath. She could only guess that the earlier incident had left Martin needing to stay close, not that she minded at all. His chest against her back was warm and firm as she finished up brushing her teeth. 

Before relinquishing the sink to her boyfriend and disappearing back into the bedroom, she pressed a minty fresh kiss to the corner of his mouth.

* * *

Amanda woke up to Martin shaking her roughly.

“Amanda!”

Even half asleep Amanda could hear panic in his voice and she realised she could also hear an alarm going off. There was a thick acrid smell in the air and it took her a moment to realise what it was.

Smoke.

“Bar’s on fire, we need to get out of here.”

Her eyes widened and she froze, forcing to Martin yank her out of the bed like a ragdoll. He pushed her to the ground “Stay low...I’ll be back in a moment.”

Amanda’s heart raced as Martin left her alone in the dark, the smoke was in her lungs and she couldn’t help the coughing. Martin was only gone for a minute or two but it had felt like hours. She felt him place a wet flannel over her mouth and link their hands together tightly.

“Stay close, okay?”

Amanda nodded and then realised Martin probably couldn’t see it “Okay.”

Martin lead Amanda out of the bedroom and over to the front door. Amanda panicked as she realised Martin meant for them to go downstairs where the fire was.

“Hey!” She felt a hand on her face “We have to, there ain’t no other way down,” She squeezed his hand tighter in response, taking strength from Martin’s hand in hers.

Even with the wet flannel over her face, she could taste the smoke in her mouth and felt it sting her eyes. As soon as Martin opened the front door she could feel the heat of the fire below them hit her skin. Her whole body shook with adrenaline as they made their way downstairs. She could see the flames spreading from the bar into the back room, licking up the wall, destroying everything it touched.

At the bottom of the staircase they turned, using the wall to guide them to the back entrance. He felt blindly with his free hand for the door and then the handle. She heard him swear and the sound of the door handle being twisted. Nothing was happening. He was forced to let go of her hand and Amanda took a step back. The flannel had stopped being effective and she could feel herself getting light-headed. The sound of Martin’s body colliding with the door filled her ears as she found herself slipping down the wall and onto the floor.

There was another bang, another thump and Martin cried out as he used all his strength to force the door open. It wasn’t budging.

“Amanda?” He called out but she couldn’t respond. She felt hands reaching out, finding her on the floor. “No, no, no, Amanda? Don’t you dare do this to me girl” The hands were on her face, stroking her hair.

Strong hands lifted her to her feet, a hand went around her waist to hold her up against Martin’s body and then he dragged her away from the back door and towards the bar. She was aware of the inescapable heat and the smoke they were walking into, only just aware of Martin forcing her forwards, his grip on her almost painful. He was coughing now too, slowing down and a part of her knew that they needed to find a way out soon or they wouldn’t be making it out alive.

There was a crash of glass and then Martin was lifting her up. Something sharp sliced through her arm and then she felt herself falling to the ground hard.  Martin’s hands were on her again, pulling her away from the heat and towards cooler air. It was fresh air too and she sucked it in in deep breaths.

Her eyes were swimming, unable to focus but when she looked up she could just make out the shape of Martin in front of her. Somewhere in the distance there was a siren, growing louder and louder and the relief of being safe had her sagging into Martin’s arms.

“It’s okay Drummer… we’re okay,” He told her between coughing fits.

* * *

Matching oxygen masks were placed on them both as soon as the ambulance arrived. Martin was well enough to step into the back of the rig himself with the two paramedics helping Amanda onto a stretcher. Gauze was wrapped around her bleeding arm and a foil blanket was tucked around her shivering body to stave off shock. Martin refused to take his hand out of hers, forcing the medics to work around them both.

The back doors to the ambulance were wide open and they watched as firefighters tackled the blaze they had just escaped from. There was a sadness inside her she couldn’t get rid of and she lifted the mask from her mouth.

“Your bar,” She croaked.

“Shhh,” Martin put her mask back on, “It’s just a building, having you safe is all that matters.”

The back doors were closed and she felt the rumble of the ambulance engine as they pulled away from the kerb.

Vogel, Gripps and Cross were waiting for them when they reached the hospital, though Amanda wasn’t sure how they heard.

“Shit! Amanda?” Vogel peered over the trolley they were wheeling her on.

She took off her mask to speak, “I’m okay Vogel.”

“Sure you are,” Martin responded, once again returning the mask to her mouth.

Her smaller lungs had certainly fared less well in the thick smoke than Martin’s had, but the fresh oxygen she had been breathing in was already making her feel a lot better.

Her and Martin were led through a set of double doors, the other boys unable to follow. Martin was forced onto the bed beside hers as the hospital staff prodded and poked them both to make sure they were okay.

The cut on her arm was cleaned and stitched up, scrubs were handed over in exchange for the damaged nightwear they had arrived in and eventually they were left alone to recover from the night’s events. Martin climbed off his bed and Amanda made space on hers for him without question. They faced each other, pressed up tightly in the narrow bed.

“I could have lost you.”

“But you didn’t,” She reassured him, pressing a kiss to his lips. His normally peroxide blond mohawk was almost black from the smoke and his glasses were missing. “You saved my life back there.”

His thumb rubbed at a soot mark on her cheek and he opened his mouth to say something when the door to their room swung open and two people entered.

A black woman in a smart suit smiled at them reassuringly and flashed a badge at them. “I’m Farah Black, this is my partner Estevez, we’re detectives assigned to your case.”

“Case?” Martin questioned.

“The firefighters don’t believe the fire at your bar was accidental.”

Martin’s eyes met hers as they realised what the detective was telling them. “Arson?”

Detective Black nodded, “Gasolene was detected, it was being used as an accelerant and it looks like the fire suppression system in place was tampered with”

She saw Martin’s eyes widen, “The back door…we tried to get out through it, but it wouldn’t open.”

“It had been chained up from the outside…. I assume that wasn’t you.”

Martin shook his head, “It’s a fire exit…it should be anyway.”

Estevez stepped forward with a small notepad in his hands “Is there anyone you can think of who would want to hurt you?”

They both shook their heads as they racked their brains. Who would want to burn down the bar?

“That’s okay, you’ve had a big shock, keep thinking and let us know if any names come to mind” A business card with contact details was left on the bedside table for them and then they left, promising to get in contact in the next couple of days when they had more information.  

“Fuck,” Martin cursed. Amanda knew there wasn’t anything to say that would help and instead tucked her head into his shoulder and held him tightly.

* * *

Amanda and Martin stood hand in hand, surveying the wreck that had been Rowdy3. The firefighters had got to the bar quickly and the building was still structurally sound, but the inside was unsalvageable. The whole place would need completely gutting and rebuilding. Everywhere Amanda looked there was charred furniture and broken glass and the smell was overpowering.

The apartment upstairs had escaped a lot of the flames but the smoke had still damaged most of what they owned, covering everything in a thick layer of soot. Amanda didn’t even want to think about what condition her drums were in.

The insurance for the place and their belongings would kick in soon and Amanda had taken charge of the rebuild. She was determined to have the place back up and running as quickly as possible. There were big plans in her mind to make the bar bigger and better than before, whilst keeping what made it so popular in the first place. Martin meanwhile dealt with all the paperwork, nearly pulling his hair out at the pile of forms he had to fill in.

The sound of a shoe stepping on broken glass caught their attention and they spun around to face Detective Black.

“Thanks for meeting me here,” She greeted them and immediately pulled a case file out. A grainy still from a CCTV camera was placed in Martin’s hands. “Do you recognise this gentleman? The CCTV across the road caught him escaping just after the fire started.”

Amanda gasped as she peered over at the photo in Martin’s hands. “That was  _ the guy _ …he was there that night.”

“The guy?” Farah asked.

“A customer at the bar, he was drunk, grabbed my ass.”

“What happened to him?”

“We kicked his ass out on the sidewalk,” Martin growled, squeezing Amanda’s hand.

“And he just left?”

Martin shook his head slowly, “He told me I would regret kicking him out…I just shrugged it off, he was wasted, I had a bar to run.”

“Okay,” Farah took the photo back and slipped it back into her file. “We’ll put out an alert on him and get him into custody so we can ask him some questions…Thanks for your time, both of you” She turned to leave when Amanda stopped her.

“Detective? You don’t happen to know his name?”

“Hugo…Hugo Friedkin.”

* * *

Amanda couldn’t remember the last time so was so busy she forgot to eat. The bar was reopening tomorrow after five long months rebuilding the place. She had been overjoyed when they were able to move back into their apartment after living in a caravan on site for most of the last five months. Gripps, Cross and Vogel had all offered to let them crash at their places but they needed their own space and Martin hadn’t liked the idea of being so far away from the bar.

The upstairs hadn’t changed much in layout, but everything from the curtains to the kitchen sink was brand new. Amanda had finally been able to add her own personality into the design alongside Martin’s and the place was now a real blend of the two of them. The apartment was a mix of solid wood furniture and warm colours. A new dining table had been purchased, big enough to fit the whole gang around it and a new larger shower had been installed which meant neither of them bashed their elbows when showering together. There was also a shiny new drum kit set up in the living room which she couldn’t wait to play.

Downstairs, the layout had also been kept but the bar had extended and more booths had been fitted in to the space. Amanda had kept the exposed brickwork that had been discovered in the redevelopment of the building and painted the floor black. Strips of white neon lined the bar and stage and the windows had been replaced with a framework of blue stained glass.

She couldn’t wait for everyone to see the new place but there was still long to-do list in her hand to get everything finalised.

Jumping down the stairs she turned towards the storeroom, stopping when she heard Martin call her name. “Everything okay?” She asked as she stepped through the doorway into the bar. An electrician was standing on a ladder on the stage, putting the finishing touches to the lights, another worker was fixing a wobbly table.

Martin was sat at the bar with a man she didn’t recognise and she moved over to the pair. “Ken Adams, my lawyer, Ken, this is Amanda.”

The man smiled at her and held out his hand for her to shake. She shook his hand politely and then place her hand on Martin’s shoulder. “You have a lawyer?”

Martin rolled his eyes “I own a business, you kinda need a lawyer for some shit.”

“Ookay, is this about the court case?”

Ken shook his head, “My colleague Bart is dealing with the case against Mr Friedkin. Based on all the evidence the police have against him, it’s unlikely he’ll be found innocent of attempted murder and arson, he’ll be going away from a long time.”

“That’s really good.”

Ken turned to Martin, “Everything you need is here, they just need signing and if you get them back to me by the weekend I’ll have the new deed in place as soon as possible,” He handed over some papers to Martin. “Nice to meet you Amanda,” He turned and left.

“What the hell was that about then?” She asked, slipping onto the seat that Ken had vacated.

“Your birthday present,” Martin said with a shrug.

“My…” She trailed off. She had been so busy getting the bar ready she had completely forgotten it was her birthday tomorrow. The same day as the launch.

“I should wait until tomorrow to give this to you, but here,” He pushed them along the counter towards her.

She grinned excitedly, “What is it?” She couldn’t tell much from the technical legal language in small print.

“The bar.”

Amanda’s head snapped up and her eyes met Martin’s in shock.

“Well…half of it anyway.”

“You’re giving me half the bar?”

Martin nodded, “It’s been my home for so long, the fire made me realise it was your home too”

“This is…are you sure?”

He pulled a pen out of his back pocket, “Just sign the damn papers.”

“Holy shit” Amanda felt her heart pounding in her chest as she took the pen and placed her signature on the dotted line where her name printed out.

As soon as she was done, she dropped the pen and launched herself into Martin’s arms. He caught her easily, his arms snaking around her back to pull her in close.

“Happy Birthday Drummer.”

Their lips met in a long deep kiss which only ended when they heard Gripps wolf whistle. She turned in Martin’s arms and grinned as Cross and Vogel appeared from behind Gripps, ready to work.  

* * *

There was a buzz all around her, drinks being ordered, jokes and snippets of conversations happening everywhere she looked. The reopening of Rowdy3 had gone off without a hitch and Amanda felt almost high from the contentment of seeing everything back the way it was before. The boys and Bea were busy pulling pints and playing up to the crowd waiting to order and Martin was back in his spot at the end of the bar, watching her with dark eyes.

She didn’t care how tired she would be at the end of the night, she had big plans for him and their walk in shower later on.

She watched him duck his head under the bar and walk through the crowds towards her until he was stood in front of her. She could feel his hip bones pressed against her and his heat left her shivering. “Ready?” He asked, his lips soft against her ear.

“For what?”

His hand landed on her shoulder and the slid slowly down her arm until they were hand in hand “Come on” He pulled her through the crowd and then up onto the stage. Wendimoor were behind them getting ready to perform.

The mass of people below them soon noticed the couple on stage and the conversation died down. All eyes were on them as Martin stepped up to the microphone.

“I ain’t much of a speaker,” Martin began. “So I’ll keep this short” His eyes met Amanda’s and she responded with a wide smile, meant only for him. “I nearly lost this one in the fire” He tugged at her hand and she tugged back. “I nearly lost everything,” The room was practically silent as he continued. “But I didn’t and we rebuilt…better, stronger than before. So…thank you for all being here tonight…it means a lot.”

Amanda reached over and brought the microphone to her lips, “Welcome to Rowdy3 guys, we are officially back open for business!”

The crowd roared in response, the roar only growing louder when Martin pulled her in with a hand on her cheek and kissed her in front of everyone.

 


End file.
